Trailblazers PAC Founder Leslie Danks Burke Speaks at National Summit to Unrig Politics
(NASHVILLE, TN) – Over 2,000 people from all 50 states representing a range of political views came together in Nashville this past weekend to advocate for American political reform. Headlined by Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, the roster of speakers included a diverse lineup from Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, to Nina Turner, president of the Bernie Sanders group Our Revolution. Leslie Danks Burke, founder and president of Trailblazers PAC, spoke about how the Horseheads, NY-based group invests in hyper-local candidates of any party who take action to move politics out of the back room, onto the front porch.
“As polarization and corruption grips a hopelessly gridlocked political system, there is a beacon of hope in the states,” said Josh Silver, founder and CEO of RepresentUS, the national anti-corruption group that organized the Unrig Summit. “A movement is on the rise to transform how candidates run for office, how we vote for them, and how politicians govern while in office.”
Danks Burke’s talk shared how Trailblazers PAC revolutionizes politics by challenging leaders of any party to make themselves accountable directly to voters, and act more transparently than the dark-money system requires. “The terrific number of people and groups working to end corruption in our democratic republic gives America hope, and we at Trailblazers PAC are honored to bring our particular focus on county and municipal-level officeholders to the reform movement.” Danks Burke said.
Launched in January 2017, Trailblazers PAC has a proven track record, successfully electing candidates through one-on-one mentorship and financial investment in those who choose to follow rigorous transparency standards. The organization also offers popular “Front Porch Politics” workshops that have educated hundreds of candidates, and thousands of supporters and interested citizens.
For more information about Trailblazers PAC, visit TrailblazersPAC.com. For more information about the 2019 Unrig Summit, visit UnrigSummit.com.
Actress and activist Jennifer Lawrence presents a “Courage Award” to the “Badass Grandmas” who led North Dakotans for Public Integrity in their successful 2018 ballot initiative to pass an anti-corruption amendment to North Dakota’s Constitution.
Leslie Danks Burke (right) speaks about Trailblazers PAC’s work electing candidates for clean government at the local level. Featured in Danks Burke’s presentation was Stephanie Townsend (second from left), one of the group’s first endorsements in 2017 and elected member of the Pittsford, NY town board.
